CNE President and CEO Dennis Keefe Announces Retirement

Press Release

CNE President and CEO Dennis Keefe Announces Retirement

09/11/2017

Dennis D. Keefe, president and CEO, Care New England Health System (CNE), will be retiring effective December 31, 2017 after serving in the leadership role since August 2011. Effective January 1, 2018, James E. Fanale, MD, who currently serves as executive vice president, chief clinical officer, and chief operating officer of CNE, will become the interim president and CEO of CNE. Following his retirement, Mr. Keefe will serve as a consultant to CNE for up to one year to assist in a smooth transition of leadership and to provide continued assistance on major pending transactions including partnership opportunities with Partners HealthCare and the acquisition of Memorial Hospital by Prime Healthcare Foundation.

“Since my arrival at Care New England, I have been impressed with the dedication and commitment displayed by everyone at this institution focusing on our mission of caring and healing. I am extremely proud and honored to be a member of this organization for that reason,” said Mr. Keefe. “Despite our challenges and recent difficulties, I remain confident in a future of sustained financial stability for Care New England. That is a testament to the work we have done together, and that you will continue to do going forward. It represents the best and necessary path to ensure a strong Care New England regardless of the outcome of our important and current business opportunities.”

Said Charles R. Reppucci, CNE Board chair, “On behalf of the CNE Board of Directors and everyone who is part of the organization, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Dennis for his leadership, professionalism, and commitment during his tenure as president and CEO. This is certainly a trying time in health care, but Dennis has brought his extensive experience and knowledge to this organization to help position us for the future despite many challenges and a rapidly changing landscape. Through it all he has maintained a focus on providing the best possible care for the community through a system built on clinical expertise, access to care, and a caring and compassionate work force. We wish him well in his upcoming retirement.”

CNE is comprised of four hospitals (Butler, Women & Infants, Kent, and Memorial hospitals), the VNA of Care New England, and The Providence Center, with revenues in excess of $1 billion annually. Recent accomplishments include the establishment of the first provider-based ACO in the state, Integra Community Care Network; the acquisition of The Providence Center; a new academic affiliation with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; an affiliation with Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation; and an innovative strategic partnership with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of RI.

Mr. Keefe previously served as the CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and the commissioner of public health for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 2002 to 2011. Under Mr. Keefe's leadership, CHA grew significantly, becoming a more than $1 billion integrated health care delivery system. While at CHA, Mr. Keefe led the organization through a significant service reconfiguration plan which served to stabilize the foundation of CHA to serve its employees and patients for the future.

While at Care New England, Mr. Keefe co-chaired Governor Raimondo’s Healthcare Leaders’ Workgroup and served as co-chair of Governor Raimondo’s Reinvent Medicaid Workgroup in 2015. He is currently co-chair of Mayor Elorza’s Non-Profit Working Group. He currently sits on the boards of Rhode Island Quality Institute, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and has been a member of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. He has served as chair of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, and on the Board of the Essential Hospitals Institute. He was chair of the 2015 Southern New England Heart Walk which raised 40 percent more than the previous year’s walk and was campaign chair of the 2013 March of Dimes March for Babies Walk. He has served as chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA). Additionally, he has served on the executive committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and as board chair of the National Public Health and Hospital Institute.

Mr. Keefe is the recipient of the 2016 Citizen of the Year Award from the March of Dimes and the 2014 recipient of the Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award. In 2008, Mr. Keefe was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts advocacy organization Health Care for All for his efforts to improve access to medical care in Massachusetts and, in 2009, received the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Massachusetts Healthcare Executive of the Year Award.

He is a highest honors graduate of Northeastern University where he received the Dean's Citation Award as the top student in the Health Sciences Program. Mr. Keefe also earned a master's degree in business administration with a focus in health care administration from Northeastern University, and was honored as the 2005 Alumnus of the Year by Northeastern University.

Bio: James Fanale, MD

James Fanale, MD, currently serves as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and chief clinical officer for Care New England. Prior to arriving at Care New England, Dr. Fanale served as senior vice president for system development and chief operating officer at Jordan Hospital, where he was responsible for the development of one of the nation's first Medicare Shared Savings Programs – Accountable Care Organizations (ACO). In this capacity, he created and implemented programs involving population health management, was responsible for the overall operations of the system, and assisted in the merger of Jordan Hospital into Beth Israel Medical Center. He also advanced key relationships with health plans and the physician networks to pioneer both the clinical and management aspects of health care in the accountable care environment. He has been instrumental in the continuing development of Care New England’s ACO, Integra, including the establishment of Integra as a Medicaid Accountable Entity. In addition, he serves as the principal investigator of the recently awarded, $3.9 million CMS Accountable Communities Grant.

Dr. Fanale earned his medical degree from Chicago Medical School and completed his residency at UMass Memorial Medical Center. He is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Fanale is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American Geriatrics Society, and is a past president and chair of the board of the American Geriatrics Society. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and has served as an advisor or consultant to numerous public and private organizations.

Care New England Health System is a trusted organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes. Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve.

CNE was founded in 1996, and today it is the parent organization of Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, the VNA of Care New England, The Providence Center, CNE Wellness Center and Integra, a certified accountable care organization (ACO) created in collaboration with the Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation. Care New England includes 970 licensed beds and 216 infant bassinets. Through Butler, Memorial and Women & Infants, Care New England has a teaching and research affiliation with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Kent is a teaching affiliate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, located in Maine.